Future Shock
by sinsandshadows
Summary: Ten years in the future, mutants are being hunted by the government, and only a few remain free. One group is led by Kitty Pryde, and it is her job to free the others. Chapter 6 now up! R/R please!
1. Chapter 1

Kitty Pryde, once known as the X-Man Shadowcat, peered through the periscope out at the decimated landscape above them.  In only a few years, the entire Earth had become a war zone, with both humans and mutants living underground, in hopes to protect them from each other.  Even the rays of the early morning sun couldn't brighten the scenery that had once been Northbrook, Illinois.  She sighed, and retracted the periscope, relived to find the area clear of Sentinels, for the moment at least.  Hearing a noise behind her, Kitty turned, instinctively taking a defensive stance.  She relaxed only when she saw that it was Kurt Wagner, her longtime friend and partner.

"Ah, Kitty, vat is it like outside?" he asked, but his tone of voice betrayed him…he knew exactly what it was like.  It was the same war-torn landscape it had been for seven years, when the humans had started a war that neither side could hope to win.

"All clear for the moment.  Any news?"

"Actually, yes.  Ve have found some of ze others.  Rogue, Scott and Ororo are being held at a military compound in upstate New York."

"My god, after all this time…" her voice trailed off to a choked sob.  It had been years since she had seen her old teammates.  The government had broken into the Xavier Institute and just _taken_ them, and only she and Kurt had escaped with the aid of their mutant abilities.  "Any idea on what else is there?  What kind of defenses they have set up?"

"Not yet, _frauline, but ve are vorking on it.  Ze only other thing I know is zat zere are more mutants zan just our friends being held zere.  Children."_

Kitty nodded.  Who knows how long the kids had been held there, and what was being done to them.  It was known that the military had been experimenting on captured mutants in hopes of harnessing their powers for themselves, and Kitty shuddered to think of that being done to mere children.  "All right, I'll hack the system and see what else I can dig up.  We'll need more information before we can move on any rescue attempt."

"You're ze boss, Boss," said Kurt with a wide grin.

Kitty couldn't help but smile.  When Kurt grinned, she couldn't help but be transported back to before the war…back to when things were better, simpler; back to when she hadn't been in charge of the lives and fates of the tens of mutants now under her leadership.   Her smile vanished as soon as it had come when she thought about the refugees.  Some they had rescued from the government, others had sought them out in a desperate hope for some semblance of safety…and Kitty felt responsible for them all.  She protected them and saw them fed and clothed…and some she trained to help free others.

"Kitty, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kurt.  I just need some time alone for a bit.  I'll check into that base, see if we can't figure a way to get our friends back."

He nodded.  "Okay.  But don't be afraid to call me if you need me.  I get vorried about you, Kitty."  He walked out before she could give her usual reply.  _Don't worry about me, Kurt.  Worry about the ones who are still out there.  With only one backwards glance he walked out the door, and Kitty was alone in the control room once more.  Her hand clenched involuntarily into a fist.  She forced herself to take a few deep, calming breaths before sitting down at a computer console to try to track down some information on this military installation where their friends were being held._

**

The announcement came over the PA system a few hours after Kurt had left.  "All fighters convene in the control room at 1100.  We've got a mission."

Kurt checked his watch.  He was amazed Kitty had found enough information in three hours to base a mission on, but he shouldn't be surprised.  She'd done more with less, and that was why she was in charge.  He had about fifteen minutes until the meeting, and decided to check on some of the refugees, who were probably just sitting down to lunch in the cafeteria.

The bunker's mess hall was a large room, designed to hold many more people than were currently present.  Perhaps only a third of the room was filled, mostly with teenagers and young adults, and sometimes their human parents.  The older mutants were mostly among the strike force that ventured above to free more of their kind.  Kurt's heart went out to everyone present, and a prayer for their safety touched his lips.  He knew that he and Kitty would do everything in their power to keep them safe from a world that wanted them enslaved or dead.

"Hey, Kurt!" called a voice from behind him.  Kurt turned and faced a twenty-something mutant named Lorna Dane, who also went by Polaris.  She had the power of magnetism, much like Magneto had, before his disappearance, and she just loved to make Kurt's life miserable.

"Ach, Lorna.  Greetings," he replied, politely enough.

"What's the deal with the mission?  Kitty got something big planned?"  The inquisitive girl innocently brushed a lock of curly green hair from her eyes.

"I suppose you'll find out in a few minutes, _nein_?"

The girl made a rude noise and threw her arms in the air.  "You know you're hopeless, don't you?"

Kurt grinned.  "And proud of it.  Now, let us go see vat Kitty has found."

A few minutes later found them in the control room, greeted by Kitty and seven other mutants…the soldiers, as it were.

"Kurt, Lorna," said Kitty, nodding at them to take a seat, "you're the last ones.  All right, listen up everyone.  Kurt and I have come across the location of more imprisoned mutants, among them some of the X-Men who were captured seven years ago.  They are our priority here, but we rescue as many as we can.  I'm sure you all know the drill by now: easy in, easy out.  We run into something we can't take, don't be afraid to clear out as fast as you can.  You'll be no good to anyone if you get caught yourself.

"The facility is located in New York, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so there's plenty of forested area for cover.  The mutants are being held several floors down, so stealth is of the utmost importance.  We'll split into two groups.  Kurt and I will lead squad Alpha, while squad Beta will guard our escape route and cover our retreat.  Any questions?"

A sea of serious faces greeted her.  They all knew of the danger; they'd faced it all before.  Kitty had the feeling that this time would be different, though she couldn't say why.  "All right, we'll take the Blackbird II a few miles from the site of the base; we can't risk being seen.  Jewel and Rick are with me and Kurt, and the rest of you will make sure we all get out alive.  We move out in two hours, so get something to eat and then meet in the hanger and get suited up."

Nods from the young mutants, before they filed out and headed toward the mess hall.  Only Kurt stayed behind.  "I have a strange feeling about zis one," he said quietly.

"Me too, Kurt.  Me too."


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt had volunteered to fly the jet to allow Kitty a few more minutes to think about the mission.  She'd given them their orders already, so she was going over the blueprints in her head, making sure her chosen route was the best one.  It would lead them through the massive ventilation system of the compound, close enough to the specialized prison her friends were being held so that Kurt could teleport them in.  Rick Blair would muffle any sound they made in the ducts by absorbing the sound waves, and Jewel Rhodes would 'listen' for the guards with her mind.  They were all about stealth, for they couldn't afford to be captured.  Not with so few mutants left free.

Kitty nodded imperceptibly to herself; it was a good plan.  There shouldn't be any snags if they all kept their cool.  She wasn't worried about Jewel, but this would be Rick's first real mission.  His gift was intuitive for him though, and he'd been trained what to do in nearly any situation they could encounter.  The others in squad Beta were her brute force unit, who would do their best to ensure that everyone escaped no matter what.  Kitty trusted them all with her life

A soft hand on her shoulder made her turn.  It was Rick, whose gift of absorbing sound very often left him mute.  They had all learned how to sign when Rick had been rescued a few months ago.  *Kurt says we're nearly there* he signed.

*Thanks, Rick* she replied.  She stood up, a little unsteadily due to the high velocity of the plane, and addressed her team.  "You all know the drill by now.  Stay hidden until we need you.  Jewel will give you the signal.  _If_ you see anyone suspicious, say a guard, don't let them see you.  Worst comes to worst, you take them out quickly and non-fatally.

"Once we land, Kurt will teleport squad Beta in first to secure the area.  Squad Alpha will then proceed into the facility.  Everyone got it?"

Nods and a few soft "yes ma'ams," then the soft rocking as Kurt set the jet down in a perfect landing.

"All right, we're moving out."

**

Getting in had been easier than Kitty had dared hope.  But then again, when you have a teleporter and a girl who can phase through walls, getting into a place shouldn't be that big of a concern.  Breaking and entering is not what Kitty envisioned herself to be doing only days from her twenty-fifth birthday.  But then again, no one had predicted the cascade of events that led to the decimation of the world either.  Not even Magneto, she thought a little bitterly.  War, yes.  Total and utter chaos and destruction generated by a human nation with the single-minded goal of destroying all mutants, no.

_It was so silent in these vents…Ororo will hate it_, thought Kitty to herself.  But if there was no noise, there was no way they could be detected.  Kitty led the others through the vents, following the map in her head from the blueprint she'd committed to memory.  _Turn right at this T-junction…should be almost there.  A few minutes later they were gathered around the opening that would lead them into the holding area._

The cells were specially designed to hold the mutant inside them, Kitty knew that much.  But exactly what lay in store for them down there she wasn't sure.  *Scout the area, find out where the guards are,* she signed to Jewel.  The petite blonde girl immediately got a far off look in her eyes.  Kitty knew that was how she got when she listened really hard.  Jewel wasn't a very strong telepath, but her ability to pinpoint the exact location of a person based on their thoughts was rather unique.

*There are only two, both guarding the one door, and some more people in the hallway outside, but not near enough to hear us if Rick does his job.*

Rick's pale green eyes gleamed, and he glared angrily at Jewel.  *I know what I'm doing.  No one, outside this room will hear anything going on inside it.*

*All right then.  When we drop down, Kurt and I will take out the two guards.  You two just make sure that no one else is coming.  We rescue as many as we can.  Kurt, can you take them to the rendezvous point?*

Kurt nodded in response.

*Okay then, let's go!*

Nightcrawler grabbed Shadowcat's hand and the teleported behind the guards.  They didn't even notice anything beyond a strange sulfur smell before two decisive blows knocked them unconscious.

The room was set up simply, and wasn't very big.  It was one single, brightly lit corridor with small cells on either side, mostly made of metal and thick Plexiglas.  Shadowcat's face lit up when she saw her friends for the first time in years.  Finally, after years of searching, she had found them…and maybe they knew where the others were.  She would have shouted with relief, but it would have done no good, as Rick's power was in full, though hopefully controlled, effect.

Shadowcat ran over to Storm's cell, phased through the wall, and freed her teacher from her bindings.  Storm quickly embraced the girl before Shadowcat took them out of the cell and gave her to Nightcrawler to teleport to the safe zone.  She didn't hear the usual *bamf* but he was back by her side in seconds.  Quick hugs followed as she rescued Rogue and Scott from their separate cells.  True greetings would come later, when they were home safe.

She knew they didn't have a lot more time, so Shadowcat hurriedly raced from cell to cell, freeing mutants.  Most were little older than she had been when she'd first joined the X-Men, and some were younger still.  She pushed her feelings aside, and focused on getting them out.  She couldn't allow herself to care about the little boy crying in her arms, not yet.

Within minutes all but one of the fourteen cells had been cleared.  There was nothing special about that last cell.  The prisoner inside it was a different matter.  He, for she could tell it was a man, was hunched in the corner, terrified.  He was older than the rest, maybe even a few years older than her, with long dark brown hair.  His clothes appeared to simply hang on his body, as if he were malnourished.

She went to phase him through his bonds, but he shrank away from her.  She didn't have time for this!  She grabbed his arm and pulled them both backwards, accidentally pulling him down on top of her.  And for the first time she got a good look at his face.

"Oh my god….  Lance."


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh my god….  Lance," breathed Kitty, not even realizing that with Rick's power working at full blast, he couldn't possibly hear her.  Hell, she couldn't hear herself.  Her mind was in chaos, and her body pinned under his weight.  All she could think of was that Lance looked like he'd been in Hell, and that she saw no spark of recognition in his eyes.  His face was sunken and his hair was down to his shoulders and looked like it hadn't been washed in a week. He had several weeks worth of facial hair, and he looked half starved even through the white hospital gown he had on.  He wasn't moving; he was just lying on top of her, face blank.  It was as if he had not a thought in his head.  She didn't know what to do, how to help him.  They were running very short on time.  If they didn't get out of here soon, everyone in the place would know that their security had been breached.

Kitty did the first thing she thought of.  She slapped him.  Hard.  Yet it had no effect.  He just kept staring at her with those horrible blank eyes.  She acted by instinct, phasing through him then grabbing his arm, dragging him to his feet.  He didn't resist her, but made no move to help her either.  She turned to Kurt to see who was left in the facility.  Rick was still covering their sound, and Jewel was checking the area to see if any guards were approaching, but Kurt had managed to take all the others out.  A movement from the young telepath caught her attention.

*Kitty, people are coming.  Two…no, three.  They're down the hall and they'll be here really soon,* signed Jewel frantically.  She was worried, and Kitty couldn't blame her.  Lance's dead weight was almost more than she could manage, and her response was short and to the point.

*Kurt, go.*

Thankfully, he'd followed her orders for long enough that he didn't argue with her.  It would strain him beyond his abilities to take them all out at once, but he could manage himself and two passengers alright.  He'd just have to come back for her.  Kitty took a deep breath and dragged Lance's body through the wall of his cell just as the door opened, admitting two smartly dressed soldiers and another man, a man whose eyes frightened Kitty more than anything she'd seen in a long while.

As if he saw the man, Lance stirred in her arms just enough to tighten his hand into a fist and use his power to shake the men to their knees.  But it seemed that even that use of power was too much for him, and he went slack in her arms.  The men didn't stay down long.  The two soldiers wasted no time in rushing toward her, and only her mutant ability saved her from a collision.  _Kurt, hurry up_, she thought in desperation.  She couldn't get the both of them out of here without Lance's cooperation, and it didn't look like she'd get it.  Not in the condition he was in.

She was surrounded by the two men, and if she had the strength to carry Lance, they could have escaped the men easily.  But she couldn't lift him, and wouldn't leave him to be recaptured.  That left evasion, and waiting desperately for her fuzzy friend to get back.

"So," said the man, his eyes aglow with a wild light, "you must be Kitty Pryde."  His voice was hard, and so cold it sent chills through her.  It had the same effect on Lance, and she realized he wasn't unconscious after all, but he wasn't in a condition to be helpful either.  "I must admit, I'm rather impressed with you.  I'd thought my base well neigh impenetrable, but evidently not to a girl who can pass through walls.  I see you've already taken the others," he said, motioning with his hand to the other cells.  "But you can't have him."  A slight motion of his hand was the only signal she got from the man before the soldier to his left fired his tranquilizer gun at her.  Luckily, it was warning enough.  Kitty phased out and the dart went right through her, imbedding itself in the floor.

The look passed over the man's face, a look that would give her nightmares for the next few nights, provided she survived this.  She forced herself to look at the man, and remember him.  He would be a dangerous enemy, and Kitty was sure that's what he would be.  He wasn't tall, but somehow his manner gave him the appearance of extra inches.  He was solidly built, and wore an expensive suit, unlike the two soldiers with him who were dressed in Army BDUs.  His hair was sandy blonde going to grey at his temples, his face unlined…but his eyes.  If ever eyes could embody the characteristics of ice, this man's did.  They were pale, pale blue touched with grey, and they were alive with the harshness of the frozen Arctic.  Kitty could live her whole life without seeing eyes like that again.

The man smiled then, as if aware that she was taking his measure, but his smile was as cold as his eyes.  Kitty repressed a shiver.  _Plenty of time for fear once I'm out of here.  Where the hell is Kurt?_

She smelled it before she heard it, and sulfur had never smelled so good.

Kitty smiled at the man.  "Goodbye, gentlemen," she said, as Kurt materialized behind her and teleported the three of them out of the compound.  The look on the cold man's face was almost worth the terror he'd evoked in her.  The next thing Kitty saw was the inside of the Blackbird and the worried faces of her team.

She turned to face her fuzzy friend.  "Kurt, I'm not complaining, but what the hell took you so long?"

"I'm sorry, Kitty.  Von of the childrens' powers acted up.  It caused quite a mess," he explained, and motioned to her left.  Sure enough, there was a pile of debris on the ground that had once been part of the plane's hull.

"How's the structural integrity?"

"Ze ship can fly, but I'd like to get back to ze hanger as soon as possible to fix it."

"Alright.  I'm not up to flying.  Can you take us home please?"

Kurt smiled warmly.  "Of course," he responded, leaving her with the rest of the kids.  They looked scared, but Kitty was in no mood to relieve them.  She was tired and afraid herself, how could she reassure them?  One of the rescued mutants broke the silence.  She was a pretty girl for all that she looked no older than sixteen.  "Thank you," she said simply, but it broke the ice.  One by one the other rescued mutants added their voices.

"Where are we going, ma'am?" questioned a boy who looked very similar to the girl who had first spoken.

"Northbrook, Illinois.  There is a place there where people like us are safe.  It won't take long to get there, our jet is one of the fastest ever made."  She remembered something, a memory from more than ten years ago of the day Lance had joined the X-Men.  She choked down hysterical laugher as she looked at him.  _Lance hated flying_, she thought.  _It always made him sick to his stomach._

"Is he gonna be okay?" asked one of them, an older boy almost her own age.

Kitty kept her eyes on Lance, who was truly unconscious now.  "I hope so," she replied.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This part is a bit longer, and we're really getting into some good stuff here!  I live off of reviews by the way, so please don't let me starve!  ^_^

"Kitty!  Are you okay?" called Kurt, as if from far away.  But the arm shaking her shoulder was close enough.  It broke her eye contact with Lance, who lay unconscious in her arms.

"Huh?" she asked, shaking her head.

"You vere zoning out.  Ve've been on ze ground for a few minutes now.  I told ze others to take the new kids to zeir rooms, but you are ze leader Kitty.  Zey are going to have to hear about life here from you."  Kurt sighed, seeing that her gaze had once again shifted to the unconscious rock-tumbler.  "I know you're vorried about him, _liebschön.  Come on, let me take you both down to ze medical wing?" he asked, offering his hand._

"Oh…okay.  Yeah," she said distractedly.

Without another word, Kurt gathered them in his arms and teleported to the medical center two floors down.  It wasn't very big, but the facilities were pretty much top-notch, assembled from various hospitals they'd raided.  Unethical, yes, but so was just letting wounded teammates die.  Luckily, they had a doctor who had been fired from her hospital when the Mutant Registration Act had passed, and had found her way to Kitty's band of mutant outlaws.  Kennedy Jackson had been an ER doctor, until frightened and angry humans had taken away her life.  All she'd wanted to do was make a difference.  That's all any of them wanted to do.  She was relieved to have found a place where she could live without the fear of that mob…but her dreams were another matter.

Dr. Jackson turned around the second she heard the *bamf* that meant they had an injured mutant back from assignment.  It wasn't a common occurrence; usually people used the main entrance.  "Kurt, Kitty," she greeted with a nod, her long brown braids bobbing.  "Who's that?  And what's wrong with him?"

"Lance…" said Kitty, still exhausted and half out of it.

"He's an old friend of Kitty's.  I have no idea vhat happened to him.  He vas like this when I got them both out," replied Kurt, setting Lance's emaciated body on an available gurney.  

Dr. Jackson immediately checked the man's heart rate and temperature.  His breathing was slow and shallow, and he was burning with fever.  She didn't think she'd need to put him on a ventilator, but if his breathing didn't grow stronger she might have to.  He'd make it though.  His heartbeat was strong, and he had the look of a man who could survive no matter what the odds.  She turned to face Kitty.  "I wouldn't worry about him; I expect he'll recover in a few days at most.  Just leave him here; I'll see that he gets my undivided attention.  You can visit whenever you want, Kitty."

"Thanks, doctor.  Come on Kitty let's get you to your room.  You need to rest now," said Kurt gently, not wanting to drag her away.  Kitty was always like this whenever someone got hurt on her watch, but it was even worse now.  Kurt almost wondered why, but he knew that they had a complicated past.  He just didn't think—no, didn't want to think—that she had feelings for him after all this time. "Come on," he repeated.  "Ve'll valk zis time.  It's not far."

"I know, Kurt.  I just….  Thank you, Kennedy.  I'll be back to see him later."

"Of course, just see that you get some rest first.  You look like you're asleep on your feet."

Kitty just nodded.  The doctor wasn't far wrong.  Her ordeal had drained her, and now that she knew Lance was in capable hands, it was time for some rest.  She let Kurt half-carry her to her quarters in the residential wing.

**

Jewel Rhodes sat on her bed and concentrated on _finding_.  The guy Kitty was so worked up over was in the med wing, and either unconscious or asleep.  She could sense something slightly off about his mind.  It didn't feel right to her probe, and even though her telepathy was very weak, she could tell that there was something wrong with him.  She just didn't know what, and that bothered her.  Who knows what those military guys had done to his head.  Jewel had heard stories she didn't want to believe about experiments done on mutants; the government trying to exploit the powers of mutants without having to deal with their personality.  She shivered.

Maybe it was just because he was sleeping, she reasoned.  Maybe, but she doubted it.  She had to tell Kitty.  They had to consider the possibility that he was a threat.  Jewel hoped for Kitty's sake he wasn't….  So she monitored the sleeping mutant as she walked down the hall to Kitty's room.

"Kitty," said Jewel through the doorcom, "it's me, Jewel.  Are you awake?"  There was no response from inside the room, so she tried again.  "Kitty, I really have to talk to you."

A few seconds later the door opened, revealing a slightly disheveled Kitty Pryde.  Her long brown hair was bed mussed, and Jewel knew she must have woken her up from some much needed sleep.  "Sorry for waking you, Boss, but I have to tell you about that guy you brought in.  I was checking for you to see if he was okay, but I detected something…off.  In his mind, I mean.  I thought you needed to know, in case he could be a danger.  I-I've heard stories about stuff the military does to mutants…."

Kitty's sleep-dulled blue eyes sprang open, and filled with worry.  She trusted her team's instincts, and if Jewel said something was wrong, Kitty believed her.  "He's been in their custody for seven years…it's entirely possible that they could have tried to do something to him.  I guess we need to check out that possibility."  Kitty's eyes filled with tears, something Jewel had never ever wanted to see.  Kitty was the leader.  She was supposed to be strong.  Yet her worry for this guy made her lose control.  Jewel knew then that they had to set it right, or else Kitty would never recover.

**

Kitty was half thankful to have been awoken.  Her dreams had taken her back to seven years ago…to the time the war had begun.  After the Mutant Registration Act had passed unanimously, the world had changed, and not for the better.  The government had eventually given free rein to the armed forces to try to stop the escalating "mutant menace."  They didn't realize that the protests and violent activates were a direct result of the laws passed.  The mutants were terrified, and they did what they did to make themselves feel safer.  Even the efforts of the X-Men were to no avail when the military reinstated Trask's creation: the Sentinels.

Oh they had tried to fight them, but with government approval and the glory of mass production it was hopeless.  For every Sentinel they took out, two more replaced it.  Even joining forces with both the Brotherhood and Magneto had come to nothing.  In one decisive strike, the military had either killed or captured most of them.  Kitty had watched her friends, so close they were almost a second family, being shackled and chained, and led off to a holding facility for who knew what purpose.  She never forgot that day.  She wouldn't allow herself to forget that day.  As much as the X-Men had dreamed of a world where humans and mutants could co-exist, she had to live in the real world now.  And the real world was ugly and cruel.

Jewel had said that there had been experiments conducted on mutants, and Kitty knew that to be true.  She had rescued a few mutants from places like that, and the experience had been…well, she didn't want to re-live it.  The thought that those bastards had done something to Lance made her stomach turn in revulsion.  How one human being could do that to another was something that boggled her mind.

"If you made physical contact with him, could you tell what's wrong?" asked Kitty.

"Maybe," replied the younger girl, "but no guarantees.  I'll get a clearer picture, but I don't know if I'll be able to see what's wrong with him just from that."

"It's worth a shot though.  If there is something wrong, maybe we can fix it before anything happens."

Jewel nodded, and they walked down several corridors that led to the other side of the building where the medical center was located.  When they entered, they found the place empty except for Lance and Dr. Jackson, who was giving her a disapproving look.

"Kitty, I thought I told you to get some rest," said Kennedy firmly, but not unkindly.

"I did, but Jewel has brought something to my attention that I needed to have checked out right away.  She sensed something off about Lance's mind.  We suspect that they did something to him while he was imprisoned."

"All right, check him out…but I'm warning you, if you don't get some rest I'll slip some sleeping pills in your supper," the older lady said with a wink.  "I put him in the isolation room because he was jerking about in his sleep.  I was actually about to go check on him again to make sure he's calmed down."

The isolation room was down at the very end of the hall of beds, and closed off from the others so that a contagious person couldn't spread their sickness.  It was comfortable, with soothing pale mauve walls and an actual bed, as opposed to one of those rickety metal hospital beds in the main hall.  Lance's pale form was nestled in the cream sheets, and he looked a bit better.  _Like heck_, Kitty thought, _a small step up from Hell_.

She examined the face she'd traced in her mind so many times over the past seven years.  It was gaunter than she'd remembered, and he had several weeks' growth of a beard disguising the lower half of his face.  His hair was just as warm a chocolate brown as she'd remembered, but much longer.  Dr. Jackson had taken off that horrible ratty hospital shirt, and dressed him in some pajama pants they had laying around.  He needed a bath dreadfully.

Jewel looked to Kitty as if for permission.  "Go ahead," she said, and the younger girl put her hands on his unclothed shoulders and closed her eyes.  Her breathy gasp signaled Kitty that Jewel was inside.  From past experience, Kitty knew that the telepath worked slowly, as her gift didn't allow for brute force, and subtlety took time.  She just wished she had the power to see inside that boy's mind, for she had never been able to tell what he was thinking.  But then again, had she been a telepath, she'd be in a cage like most of the rest, including Professor Xavier.  Even his immense telepathic power had been unable to save him from being taken like the others.  Kitty had vowed she'd find him and the rest of her friends one day, but who knew how long it would take, and what they'd do to them in the meantime…


	5. Chapter 5

AN – Thanks to everyone who reviewed.  I have this pretty much planned out, but it's always fun to let chance guide my writing and see what pops up.  It's turning out to be a little longer than I originally thought, but bear with me please, I have some twists and turns in store for you.

Jewel closed her outer eyes, and opened her inner senses.  It was similar to what she did when she sought other minds, but different as well.  Finding people was second nature to her, but probing the mind itself took far more concentration, and a…_shifting of her point of view.  Every telepath saw the mindscape in a different way.  For Jewel, it was much like the world she saw with her eyes, except here the landscape had very specific meanings._

She had never experienced a mind like this before.  It was a barren place, guarded by a high thick steel wall that went on for as far as she could see.  Gaining entry even to surface thoughts would be very difficult.  A mutant like Professor Xavier could just tear the wall down, but Jewel lacked that strength.  She had to search for another entrance.  Luckily, distance was nothing in the mindscape, for she moved with the speed of thought, seeking a crack, a weakness.  There was always a weakness; it was only a matter of finding it and exploiting it.  But it begged the question, how had he shielded his mind, and from what?

A tiny crack in the steel wall appeared before her, and Jewel flowed through it, her form determined only by thought.  Inside the wall was horror.  The landscape was jagged and harsh, ranging in color from deep blood red to sickly yellow-green, far worse than the empty barrenness of the other side.  In some places it resembled crystals, and she felt the fragility of these structures, yet in others it was unyielding stone.  Huge shadows stretched and blocked most of the light, but Jewel could see a spot in the distance where the light had gathered, as if to protect itself from the ever encroaching darkness.

Jewel equated light with an untroubled mind, and darkness with chaos.  There was always some darkness in every mind, but here it was almost overwhelming.  Nearer to the light areas were small pools of water and the jaggedness seemed to grow less.  Jewel had never experienced anything like this mindscape before.  Such a dichotomy of images….

Within the light, she saw the hunched figure of a man.  He was Lance, and yet he wasn't.  He looked only a little like the man they'd brought in.  His hair was the same color, but much shorter, and his face was clean-shaven.  He wore ripped blue jeans and a black t-shirt with a brown vest over it.  But the oddest thing was that he looked about ten, while Lance's body was closer to thirty.

He didn't seem to sense her presence, so Jewel reached out and touched him.  She had never found a personal representation before, but she could guess the reasons for his existence, and by making contact with him, she could get actual thoughts.

_Don't wanna get hurt anymore….  Safe here, gotta stay in the light.  The Other can't find me in the light.  Stay hidden, hide in the light, stay safe, stay safe, never let him find me…_

Jewel pulled her mental hand back so quickly she lost her focus, essentially falling out of his mind.  She opened her eyes to see Kitty looking at her expectantly.

"Can I have an aspirin?  I feel like I got ran over by a Mack truck."

"Are you okay?" asked Kitty, as Dr. Jackson retrieved some painkillers and a glass from a nearby table.

"Thanks," she said to the doctor, swallowing the aspirin.  "I'll be alright.  It's just a headache from pulling out too quickly.  Okay, I've got some stuff to tell you, and it's not going to be pretty."

Kitty's eyes narrowed.  "What do you mean?  Did you find out what's wrong?  Can you fix it?"

"Well, I think I know what's wrong, but I've never encountered it before personally.  My best guess is his mind has shattered.  Somehow or another, the bastards managed to separate his core personality from his body and, well…_break it.  There's a whole lot of chaos in there, but there's also an aspect of Lance hiding from something he called the Other.  I think it's a part of him that managed to hide away and not get absorbed into the Other.  But the damage to his mind is too great for me to fix.  I'd need a whole lot more power than I've got."_

"What is this Other?" asked Dr. Jackson, interest plain in her voice.

"Well, from what I understood, it's another personality.  The core of what is Lance was hiding from it, so whatever this personality is, it's very powerful.  Strong enough to destroy a weaker personality, that's for sure," answered Jewel, her gaze fixed on Kitty, who looked on the verge of tears.

"Is he a danger?" asked Kitty, her voice harsh with emotion.  Yet it was a question that had to be asked.

Jewel shook her head.  "I don't think so.  So long as the personality I encountered remains in control, he won't be a danger to anyone.  He should wake up soon, I think.  His mind seemed like it was just finishing putting itself back together.  Any idea what happened to him?  Why he's unconscious?"

Kitty's gaze was still fixed on Lance when she answered.  "It was right after Kurt teleported you guys out, I think.  He was so…it was like no one was home.  But then three men came in, and I think Lance recognized one of them.  He used his power to knock them flat, maybe hoping to buy us some more time or something.  After that, he just went limp again."

"Maybe it was because he was scared of that man," Jewel pondered out loud.

"Maybe," agreed Kitty.

Jewel put a consoling hand on Kitty's arm.  "Come on, let's get something to eat, okay?  You can talk with your friends and meet the others.  Maybe they know something about what's been done to Lance."

"Okay," said the brunette, but Jewel knew her concentration was all on Lance.

Regretfully, Jewel half-dragged her friend away from Lance and toward the mess hall.

**

             Lance remembered a voice.  It was a good voice, a warm voice full of nice emotions.  He didn't remember hearing it before.  It had been an eternity since he'd heard a nice voice, maybe even longer.  He wasn't so sure of time anymore.  All he knew was that he had to stay in his safe place, away from the one who tried to find him.  Away, alone…all alone.  He didn't like being alone.  The voice…it reminded him of a time when he hadn't been alone.  But when had that been?

             He also remembered the bad men.  They had done bad things, very bad.  And now he had to hide.  They put the Other in his head.  Lance was scared of the Other, all violence and rage and anger.  It wanted to swallow everything and make the world one big pile of rubble, leaving nothing standing.  Lance knew exactly what the Other wanted, and that's why he had to hide.

             Had to hide.  But…he wanted to see.  He remembered the cold man.  He remembered using his power on him.  But where was he now?  Had to hide…had to…but something bothered him about before.  Something…

             "Kitty?"

**

               The man sat alone in his office.  His face was expressionless, but a cold anger surrounded him, and it was a wonder why the metal desk didn't have a layer of frost on it.  Years he had worked on that mutant, twisting him, bending him, molding him to their purposes.  And now he was gone with the rest of them.  All the most promising mutants, and they were gone in minutes.

But Alvers was different.  He was a danger to anyone around him still, yet he felt that their work was nearly complete.  Those damned mutant rebels couldn't be allowed to ruin the work of seven years.

The man picked up the phone.  "Have you found him yet?  No?  Well keep looking.  That tracking device should still be active.  Well keep on it, he must be found."  As he set down the receiver, his plan crystallized.  Recover Alvers and take out the rebels at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.  Alone in his office, Sebastian Barnes smiled a cold, cold smile.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the little delay, had some school stuff to do.  The next part may not be out for a few days either, due to a big all day music festival this Friday and Saturday.  I hope you're all enjoying the story so far.  Keep reviewing please!  And now on to the story….

            Ororo surveyed the faces in the mess hall and felt disproportionately old.  Those that Kitty had assembled or rescued were children to her.  The elder woman sighed.  There was no help for it.  The time of peace had ended long ago, and there was nothing to be done now but survive.  She looked at Rogue and Scott with worried eyes.  Their time imprisoned had changed them all, and who knew if they'd recover completely.  Ororo worried about them, as she worried about Kitty, who seemed so wrapped up in Lance Alvers that she was neglecting her responsibility to her people.  For that's what these children and their families were.  They were Kitty's people, and her responsibility.

The young mutants rescued along with her were eating heartily, as they'd no doubt missed the taste of good food.  They were safe, yes, but confused also.  They had no idea what was expected of them now.  The same problem faced her and the other former X-Men.  There were terrible, dark times behind them all, and more to come, no doubt.  It had been a long time since Storm had been a leader of any sort, and she wasn't yet ready to reclaim the responsibility.  Kitty had done well for herself here, and she had grown into a strong woman, and a fine leader.

_Speak of the Devil…thought Ororo as Kitty walked into the mess hall with the blonde girl she'd seen at the military facility.  She looked tired still, yet the grim light of determination flickered in her blue eyes.  She'd grown into a woman who would never ever give up.  Ororo had never been prouder of any of her students._

"Ororo, Scott, Rogue," greeted Kitty, her voice hard with fatigue and perhaps impatience.  "This is Jewel," she said, pointing to the blonde girl.  "She's the only telepath we have at the moment.  She told me that something is very wrong inside Lance's mind, and I need to fix it before he becomes a danger to us or to anyone else."  Kitty turned to the recently liberated young mutants.  "Do any of you possess telepathy?"

All the children looked up at Kitty, speechless for a moment before they figured out she was talking to them.  One, a small boy with a shock of sunny white blond hair and shocking violet eyes raised his hand.  "I do," he said quietly.

Kitty's gaze softened when she looked at him.  "What's your name?" she asked.

"Toby," replied the boy, with quiet strength and sincerity in his voice.  He leaned in close to Kitty, speaking only to her.  "I'll help him Kitty, I owe it to you," he said, just as softly, just as sincerely.

"Okay," whispered Kitty, her voice not altogether steady.  "Thank you."

The boy smiled.  No, not boy.  No one with eyes that old could be called a boy.  The body might belong to a child, but Toby's mind had experienced things no child ever should.  "You should meet the others now.  We've been waiting until you're ready."

_And a child shall lead them…thought Kitty thoughtfully._

The girl sitting to Toby's immediate right looked about 15, with deep auburn hair and sparkling green eyes.  "My name's Jenna Reed.  I turn invisible."  She nodded to the boy sitting next to her.

"Uh…Corey.  Corey Matthews.  I…guess I'm a shapeshifter or something.  I turn into a falcon sometimes."  The boy shrugged, obviously ill at ease with his mutant power.

Kitty laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "It's okay Corey, we don't just house mutants here, we teach them as well.  The boy nodded meekly.

Sitting next to Corey was an older boy, nearly twenty or so with long black hair.  He wore glasses, yet his eyes were very blue.  "My name is Matt Reynolds, and I'm a hacker.  Anything electronic, really…I can make gadgets do what I want them to do."

"Alyson Devereaux.  I fly, and I can beat almost anyone in an arm wrestling tournament," said a tall brunette girl with an easy smile.

The boy sitting next to Alyson with short, dark, curly brown hair didn't look up at Kitty.  "Billy," he said softly.

Alyson looked back up at Kitty.  "Billy emits pressure waves…like he did in the jet before you came.  He can't control it."  The boy cast an angry glare at the brunette.

Kitty turned her gaze to the boy.  "Don't worry, Billy.  Really.  We'll teach you how to control your powers.  I remember when I was your age…I couldn't control them at first either," related Kitty, hoping to win the boy over.  "I remember I was sleeping one night, and I had a dream that I was falling.  I woke up in the basement.  Since then I was always terrified that I'd end up stuck halfway through a wall.  But it gets better, I promise."

"I'm Zane," interjected a boy of about sixteen.  "This is Lydia.  We're twins."  The boy sounded like he'd had six Jolt colas in a row.  Not as hyper as Pietro, but close.  "I do stuff with light, like lasers and stuff.  She does shadows."

"Yeah," said the girl calmly, "but not recently.  I can…I don't know.  I call it 'slipping.'  If there's a shadow around, I can hide in it completely, or travel to another shadow in my line of sight.  But it changes me."

"Aw, sis, c'mon, you look cool when you come out the other side."

"Yeah, if you consider obsidian statues cool.  It doesn't wear off for months…"

Zane shrugged.

Kitty held back a laugh.  The two siblings were such polar opposites, yet she could tell they were close.  It reminded her of a better time.  "It's wonderful to meet you all.  I'm sure you want to know what you'll be doing around here.  You'll have classes in the mornings, and training in the afternoons.  Other than that, your time is yours.  You can choose to stay here, in which case you'll abide by the rules, or you can go.  There are a few other bunkers like this one, but most are run similarly.  And most of the others don't send teams out to look for more of our kind.

"Your rooms have been assigned to you, and they are yours for as long as you're here.  Extra clothing brought in from time to time, at which time you can take shirts, jeans, whatever, and it's yours."  Kitty looked over at her friends, who had been listening to the exchange.  "This goes for you as well.  You can stay or go, fight or not.  It's your choice."

Ororo's eyes misted over.  A few minutes ago she'd thought she couldn't be any prouder of Kitty, but she'd been wrong.

"Well, Ah for one am stayin' right here," said Rogue into the expectant silence.  "And Ah'm gonna help you find our friends, Kitty."

"Me too," added Scott.  "I can feel Jean, she's alive somewhere, and I'm sure the others are too."

Kitty smiled at them all, gratitude evident in her blue-grey eyes.  "Thank you, all of you.  I'm going to get some food for our patient.  If any of you know anything about what was done to him…anything that can help…"

Ororo embraced Kitty.  "We will tell you, do not worry."  She lowered her voice further, speaking so only Kitty could hear.  "I do not wish to speak of anything that went on there in front of the children.  Go be with Lance, we'll talk later."

Kitty sniffed.  "Thanks, Ororo."

The older woman watched as Kitty took a tray of food and left the mess hall, presumably heading back to the infirmary.  Such strength in the face of adversity…Kitty had grown into quite a woman.


End file.
